Stewie's Story

[OldAlum]

Me Too


Me Too | By Breanna Stewart

 

[NoSpamHere]

This will make you cry.... and enrage you...

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Sobering. Maddening. Beyond despicable.

 

[eebmg]

Thank god she made it through the other side. Unfortunately, not everyone in such a position has the support of their parents to relieve the burden. A painful heartfelt message from a great role model.

 

[meyers7]

Me Too


Me Too | By Breanna Stewart

Thanks for posting this. Very sobering.

 

[Millenial23]

I just came online here to post the article if it hadn't already been posted. My heart aches for her. What bravery coming forward to the whole world. Wow.

 

[Kaizen]

It is not a shame. Just speak out and this will help other kids.
So happy that Stewie can go through this painful memory...

 

[cohenzone]

One of my sidelines is writing. Also being a foster father. Also having relatives. They are connected by child abuse. We fostered girls who were abused as kids, one for years starting at age 2. I wrote a novel based on her situation. Her abuser, her mothers’s live in boyfriend, ultimately was arrested, tried and sentenced to the longest term in state history. I did many book shows and had several situations where a middle aged woman in the audience confided in me, a stranger, afterward that they’d never told anyone that they’d been abused as a kid. Hard to know how to handle that other than that they should seek counseling.

But closer to home, our whole family was shocked when we learned that our 15 year old niece had been molested for years by her grandfather. An affable guy whom I’d golfed with on occasion. I never would have guessed. You can’t tell by looking. My niece, very bright, fell apart, got into heavy drugs, tied suicide several times, and luckily got into a very long term residential rehab program. She got out, got a GED diploma, got straight As at a community college, went on to a 4 year university where she graduated Summa Cum Laude, got a masters in psychology from an Ivy League school and is currently applying to PhD. programs.

There are so many of these unidentified situations. I’ve gotten to know some authors of memoirs of people abused by family members, not always sexual abuse, and they all suffered in silence for years. The hidden epidemic.

 

[Sonny44]

Have to admire her for bringing this out. She doesn't seem to harbor excessive bitterness nor seeking of justice toward the offender.

 

[Dove]

That was quite a read.

 

[augustaTC]

What an amazing young woman. Sounds trite to say, but there is so much to Stewie beyond what we've seen on the court for so many years. I think it took a lot of guts to put such deep feelings down in black & white. Thanks Stewie...I believe your message will reach & help many, many young girls.

 

[UConnCat]

Incredibly powerful. I cried as my heart ached for Stewie.

 

[UConnCat]

 

[CL82]

It is not a shame. Just speak out and this will help other kids.
So happy that Stewie can go through this painful memory...

One quote among many that struct me in the article:

I also thought about what my dad has said to me more than once:

“It’s not a dirty little secret. When you’re comfortable with it, and when you’re comfortable being open about it, you could save someone’s life.”

I always liked and respected Stewie's parents. Could this concept have been said any better than that?

Stewie's very poignant article closes with:

I’m still working through what comes next now that I have told my story. In sharing, I know that no matter how uncomfortable I typically am making things about myself, as a public survivor, I now assume a certain responsibility. So I’ll start by saying this: If you are being abused, tell somebody. If that person doesn’t believe you, tell somebody else. A parent, a family member, a teacher, a coach, a friend’s parent. Help is there.

Part of why I waited so long to tell so many people — even those very close to me — is because I don’t want to be defined by this any more than I want to be only defined by how well I play basketball. Both things are a part of me — they make me who I am. We are all a little more complicated than we might seem.

And I can finally sleep.

Wow. My heart breaks thinking about what she had to endure. Yet, I have so much respect for her and her telling of this story. It's not the first time I've thought this, but Breanna Stewart is a very special young woman.

 

[Bliss]

So sad. Stay strong, Stewie.

 

[huskyd]

This breaks my heart. I hate thinking that Breanna had to go through the nightmare of child sexual abuse. I have worked with a number of sexual abuse survivors, so I knew what was coming in Stewart's piece almost before she wrote the words. If ever there was anything in this world I'd like to have the power to erase completely, as if it never happened, it is these too often told stories. Tall as she is, I'd like to give her a hug and tell her that everything will be fine, but it isn't and may never be. It took tremendous courage to tell her story. Thanks, and God bless.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

It truly is a sick, insane world that with all the computers and knowledge gathering, I can't help feeling that we're going backwards as the Human Race! And what's even scarier is I don't see it changing for the good anytime soon!
Very very sad!

 

[JavaMan]

I hope he went to jail and is STILL THERE. Disgusting!

Stewie is not only a survivor, she's also a HERO.

​

 

[cohenzone]

It truly is a sick, insane world that with all the computers and knowledge gathering, I can't help feeling that we're going backwards as the Human Race! And what's even scarier is I don't see it changing for the good anytime soon!
Very very sad!

The one good that’s happening is that more and more victims are coming forward, empowering others to follow suit. Male victims are still less apt to come out. All in all, it’s just a small fraction. In Connecticut alone, stats provided annually by the Department of Children and Families, which obviously does not include any unreported situations, show thousands of reported cases of child abuse, which includes sexual, physical and neglect. For whatever reason, lack of corroboration etc, only about 20% of cases are verified. In CT at any given time there are about 4500 kids in foster or institutional care and about 460000 nationally. That excludes the Stewies of the world as well as adult victims,

 

[CocoHusky]

Truly reprehensible & evil. Stay Strong Stewie!

 

[THEMAN/MAN]

I just started to cry , i'm at work , its so hard when its someone you respect and feel like you know , its like we all watched her grow up , like shes a relative, stay strong Stewie!!!!!

 

[JordyG]

I couldn't finish reading it. I'm in tears. I feel sick.

Now I'm angry. How have we failed all of these women who have responded to #Me too. All those who haven't responded who have had to live with this all these years. All those who at this moment are living through this nightmare. How have we so failed ourselves as men? As a society?

Not to bring politics too far into this spotlight. But when Obama was elected as our president so many called America a "post racial society" When will this ever be called a post predator society? When?

 

[connie]

Me Too


Me Too | By Breanna Stewart

A remarkable account of a reality that is unfortunately very commonplace in every corner of the world. Has been for thousands of centuries. While it is easy and even justifiable to despair, it is important to realize that it is only within our lifetime that child abuse and sexual abuse have begun to be exposed to the light of day on a truly global scale. Thank you, Breanna. Thank you .

 

[Samanthabrown3]

She could save someone’s life.

What a dad. What a kid.

And kudos to Geno for jumping right in to support her.

 

[MilfordHusky]

My heart also aches for Breanna. I’ve met and chatted with Brian and Heather, and sat for a few hours with Brian’s sister. They are as solid as solid gets. It seems as if no one is safe. Stewie has earned lifetime membership to HuskyNation, but, even if she hadn’t, she’d be one of us. I agree with Coach—Stewie is MVP for life.